Let me remind you of time when good has come out of a bad thing. A thirteen year old Megan Meier♥(R.I.P) committed suicide over a MySpace relationship that she had online with a "teenage boy" when, in fact, it was a neighborhood mom!
On her show, Tyra Banks discussed this dangerous phenomenon with a teen-only audience. The bullies explain why they torment through text messages and MySpace anonymously. Then, watch several brave girls fight back and confront their bullies. Plus, the case that brought so much attention to cyber bullying. Megan Meier's mother Tina opens up about her teen daughter's suicide and how cyber bullying from other teens and even an adult caused a deep depression that had deadly consequences. Finally, Tyra and her audience take the Megan Pledge and vow to stop cyber bullying.
Great Resources for the Megan's Pledge Campaign....From Jeffrey Johnston's page
"There are three parts of The Megan Pledge, a signed individual pledge, a group banner and black and white polka-dot ribbons to wear and share.
The pledge itself contains both statements and a set of promises. It is signed and witnessed and given to WiredSafety’s Megan Pledge volunteer team. The first name and last initial of the person taking the pledge, as well as their town and state are added to the roster. The pledge commits the person, individually, to take a stand against cyberbullying, to offer support to those being cyberbullied and to report it whenever they find it. They also commit to understanding that suicide is never an option, empowering them to be part of the solution, instead of the problem. They take the pledge for themselves. They take it for Megan. They take it for all others who have experienced the pain of cruel words and actions in cyberspace, on cell phones and through gaming devices.
The Megan Pledge is more than a pledge. It’s more than a banner. It’s more than a polka-dot ribbon. It is a movement. Empowering children, tweens and teens to be part of the cyberbullying solution instead of the problem, The Megan Pledge gives them concrete steps to take to address the rising cyberbullying epidemic. The Pledge gives them the chance to say “Enough!” when faced with cyberbullying by providing conflict resolution methods, anger management skills and support for the target. At the same time, it teaches students how to avoid becoming a cyberbully themselves, by either acting out or responding to an attack."....
The pledge can also be signed online at My Yearbook.
THE very respected as Cyberberbullying expert is Parry Aftab a security, privacy and cyberspace lawyer, as well as an author and child advocate. Visit her resources posted at Stopcyberbullying.org This is a deep topic, and I have a very heavy heart about it.
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